Five: A hickey

Eva Belle dimmed her eyes before she pulled my robe to the side, exposing the side of my neck that Kincade left his mark on.

"Okay, fine" my excitement took over. "We did more than talk. We…" I looked around the empty room to be sure that we were alone and someone didn't somehow climb in through the window that was three storey up. "We made love"

"You made what?" Eva Belle looked like she saw a ghost the way her eyes bulged out.

"We d-did the 'do'"

"Huh?"

"Danced the…the dance" I tried another metaphor.

"What?!"

"We fucked, Evie-Belly, s-several times. I woke up in his bed…"

"Oh my God"

"Yeah, exactly!" I yelled in excitement in contrast to Eva Belle's surprise.

"You slept with Prince Kincade?" Eva Belle came closer and gripped me.

"There is a virginity clause in your marriage contract with Prince Kincade, Noah. Are you aware of that?" Eva Belle yelled.

The air was thick and heavy, making it hard to breathe. I could hear the distant sound of servants bustling about, the clang of pots and pans from the kitchen, and the muffled voices of the courtiers in the courtyard…for a castle, it was awfully loud.

It was like they were preparing for our engagement party. I couldn't wait. I was so excited.

But the heat was…Ugh!

It felt like the sun was baking the old 16th century castle walls, making every step I take feel like a trek through a fiery oven. I'm a princess about to be engaged to an Alpha who happens to be the love of my life, for goodness' sake! I'm supposed to be elegant and refined, not a sweaty, bedraggled mess!

"Is the air conditioner working?" I asked Eva Belle, marching to the window to open it. The warm breeze that wafted in was a slight relief, but it didn't alleviate the nauseating feeling that had been building up inside me.

Eva Belle followed behind me clutching a bunch of documents in a file she just retrieved from the table.

She handed a tiny rechargeable hand fan to me and in return, I tossed it out the window. A thousand tiny bitty hand fans wouldn't do justice to me right now.

"Noah! Noah! Did you hear what I just said?" Eva Belle's voice had a constipated tone to it, one could never guess she was only two years older than me and from a prominent family like the Icarus.

There was a running joke in the household that managing me had aged Eva Belle fifty years. I disagree, I was a ray of sunshine.

"I said that the marriage contract with the crown Prince of Essex has a virginity clause in it. Are you aware of this?!"

I stopped pacing and looked at her.

"Yes. That's why I slept with Prince Kincade. Be excited for me, Belly"

I took off the robe I was wearing and threw it on the floor, leaving me in just my bra and panties.

"You were supposed to fuck him after marriage, Noah…after marrying him not before!"

Eve Belle finally allowed her frustration to show, her face twisting up like she swallowed a gigantic frog. It made me laugh.

"You should lose your t-temper more often, maybe you w-wouldn't be so..so upright like a grumpy old man, Evie-Belly"

"You are so annoying" Eva Belle yelled at me and flung the file at me, I got the hell out of dodge and the file crashed near the window.

"Do you feel better now that you've committed treason by trying to take the head of your future Queen, Belly"

I chuckled, picking up the chocolate bar on the glass table and taking a bite. The rich, velvety texture melted in my mouth, providing a brief distraction from the heat.

"You shouldn't be eating that, you will get fat" Eva Belle slipped to the bare floor, her hair all over the place, she looked like she just escaped the asylum unlike the mostly put together person she mostly was…when she wasn't my party hard best friend.

"Do you want some?" I offered her some chocolate, she snatched it from me and took a bite out of it.

I came closer and sat down beside her.

Coming back home to the Island country of Avalon wasn't easy for both of us. Trying to fit into the predetermined role we had been assigned to - me as heir presumptive to the throne and Eva Belle as the put together personal manager, advisor/ lady's maid to a mess that is me wasn't very easy when in reality, we were just two girls barely out of our teenage years with enormous responsibilities on our shoulders.

"Did you know about the virginity clause in the marriage contract before you slept with him, Noah?" Eva Belle asked me one more time.

I exhaled.

"I did" I answered "Why do you think I'm the only kid in college who's still a virgin?" I looked at Eva Belle and bit down on my lips. "I was s-scared before, Evie-Belly. W-what if he had a smelly b-breath or old man's f-feet? Or God f-forbid, grunted during sex. I didn't want to be married to a grunter. But I met Kincade and he was none of those things and he liked me too. So, we made love"

I smiled as I remembered more details. "He loved me all through last night. It was really special, B-belly"

Eva Belle took another bite from the chocolate and handed it back to me.

"C-can't you be happy for me?" I asked her.

Eva Belle was my person.

If I murdered someone and needed someone to help me hide the body, I wouldn't go to my parents or my big headed brothers...I would call Eva Belle. All I needed to say was I have a dead body to hide and all she would ask was "how many shovels do we need?"

And the feeling was mutual. I would hide bodies for her too.

. "Oh sweetie, you had sex for the first time, of course I'm happy for you. I have so many questions. How was it? Are you okay? How was it?!"

"It was everything I wanted it to-" I was practically bursting with joy.

We were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Who's there?" Eva Belle asked.

"Maria, ma'am. I was asked to fetch the princess. The King wants to see her in the tea room"

"Be right out, Maria!" I yelled back. "I bet Dad is calling to inform me that our marriage is back on.